The Blue Spiral (The Ninja Way)
by MorllyberNo.1
Summary: Kaze Hatake, a normal - ish - ninja from Konoha. Until she wakes up from two and a half years in comatose. A book in my Naruto series.
1. That Night

**A/N: Sup guys! Morllyber here!**

**Okay, so I got a rude comment on this story a little while ago about how I shouldn't continue with this story because I'm not getting any views. Well, I checked it this afternoon after school and I've got an alert! That's good enough for me!**

**And even if I _didn't_ get any views - which I REALLY hope doesn't happen - I'm gonna continue it anyway. 'Cause I like writing it and I'm having a great time imagining this actually happening! So if you're going to review, please make it a nice comment, some constructive criticism or just don't bother, seriously.**

**Well, that's just about all I have to say here. Sorry some of the chapters are so short, sorry for the long-ish waits between chapters, etc.**

**DISCLAIMER (Which counts for all chapters) : I DO NOT own ANY of the ORIGINAL Naruto characters or contents. I DO claim ownership of Kaze, Maria, Skye, Faith and Hope, some of which are still to come.**

**Well, this is Morllyber signing out! Peace out, dudes! ;)**

* * *

"Sasuke! Sasuke!" A girl with billowing red hair ran up to the boy walking out of the village. He turned.

"Why are you here?" he asked quietly.

"To stop you, dammit!" the girl replied. "Why are you leaving?"

"I need to become stronger, Kaze." Sasuke said. "Then he will pay."

"Enough! Enough with Itachi! It's been seven years, isn't that enough?"

"No!" Sasuke grabbed hold of Kaze's shoulders and shook her violently. "I know that you want to kill him too. Think of your mother!"

"I know." Kaze's head dropped.

"You owe me." Sasuke then whispered. Kaze's head shot up. Sasuke pulled her into a tight embrace and whispered in her ear. "You owe me, and this is what I'm asking of you. Come with me. Kill Itachi with me."

Kaze shook her head and shoved Sasuke away. "No! I would never abandon my village for something as silly as revenge. It's reckless and stupid, Sasuke. Don't go."

Sasuke laughed. "And you think you can stop me?" he demanded.

"No." Kaze said, a tear rolling down her cheek. "No, but I still want you to stay. Please. For me."

"I don't owe you anything." Sasuke turned away.

"Sasuke, stop!" Kaze grabbed hold of his shoulder. "I'll stop you by force if I have to!"

"I'd like to see you TRY!" Sasuke turned around again and threw a handful of lightning straight through her stomach. Kaze froze and coughed up blood. Sasuke pushed her away and she dropped to the ground, blood seeping through the stones. The last thing Kaze saw was Sasuke mouthing, 'I'm sorry,' and disappearing into the night.

Her eyes closed.


	2. She'll Be Fine

_Two and a half years later..._

A hand gripped Kaze's.

"How is she?" a voice asked.

"Maria." He gripped her hand even tighter. "Not improving any."

Maria sat down opposite him. "She will wake up, Kakashi-sensei." she said. "You know that, right?"

"I don't know." Kakashi answered. "Her condition hasn't changed for two and a half years. I don't see how she could ever wake up now."

"Don't have that attitude. She'll be fine. Trust me."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I'm her Shogi partner. You learn a lot about someone by playing Shogi with them."

"Really?"

"Just think positive. She'll be fine." But Maria's voice was braver than her heart. "You'll have a lot of stories to tell her."

"That's right!" A new voice said. Kakashi and Maria looked up.

"Master Jiraiya?" Kakashi said.

"I mean, we're back, everybody's a Chunin, there's a lot going on nowadays!" Jiraiya grinned, sitting in the window ledge. "And Team Kakashi's back together! She'll be damn happy 'bout that!"

Kakashi managed a small smile.

Maria stood up. "I'd better get going." She pulled a Shogi piece from her pocket and placed it on the table next to her. She smiled and walked away. Jiraiya grinned again and did the same. Kakashi picked up the piece that Maria had left.

The knight.

He smiled and put it back. He looked at his little sister. He couldn't believe it had been so long. She had already turned sixteen. And still nobody knew who her father was. Or is. Nobody knew. Even her mother couldn't remember. And she died still not knowing.

Kakashi walked out, hands in pockets. He walked towards the library. Maybe... maybe he could do that one thing for her. That one thing that nobody had figured out. Maybe he'd be the one to find out who fathered his sister.


	3. Dreams

_Kaze wandered through darkness. There wasn't a spot of light anywhere. She was ready to fall asleep at any moment. So, so tired. Her eyelids kept drooping but she forced them to stay open. She dropped to her knees and a single tear rolled down her cheek._

_Then the world was filled with a blinding light. Kaze squinted, holding her arm over her face. A figure appeared in front of her. He was wearing a leaf headband and a white robe. He had blond hair and blue eyes. He smiled and walked over to her. He knelt in front of her and rested his hand on her shoulder._

_"Are you okay?" he asked Kaze. The light faded to a bearable brightness and she saw who it was._

_"Minato?" Kaze whispered. "Why are you here?" He smiled again._

_"Well, I had to see how you were holding up, didn't I?" Minato chuckled. "As my student is your master, I almost feel obliged."_

_"I only knew you for six months of my life, if that." Kaze managed a smile. "But I do remember you."_

_Minato took his hand of Kaze's shoulder and rested in on his knees. "She has a long memory, doesn't she?"_

_Kaze's blue eye twinkled. The white one sparkled. "Being me is a blessing and a curse." Her smile then matched Minato's. "That's what being the Saino is all about."_

_Minato patted Kaze's head. "She and your mother both taught you well. So did your brother."_

_Kaze pouted and her eyes narrowed. "Damn books. Why did I have to get a pervert for a brother?"_

_Minato laughed and removed his hand. "Apparently your brother's master wrote them well, then!"_

_Kaze looked up. "But I thought Master Jiraiya wrote them?" She asked Minato._

_"He did."_

_"But you said my 'brother's master'. That was you."_

_Minato laughed again. "How can I teach my son when I'm dead?" He looked Kaze in the eyes. His eyes twinkled with mystery._

_"But Kakashi's my brother." Kaze pondered what Minato had said. "And... Naruto's your son."_

_"Oh?" Minato grinned. "You figured out I was Naruto's father?"_

_Kaze smirked. "It wasn't that hard. I spoke to Master Jiraiya about it, and he told me not to tell Naruto. Or anyone, for that matter."_

_Minato grinned away. "Have you figured it out yet?"_

_"Figured it out... hang on. No way. That's not possible." Kaze's smirk faded. Her eyes widened._

_Minato's grin faded to a sad smile. "Is it impossible, though?"_

_Kaze stared. "My mother wasn't that kind of person. And neither were you, right?"_

_Minato sighed and looked away. "I regret it. I do. I had just lost my brother, and I was grieving. I didn't remember that night at all. Not one little detail."_

_Kaze looked down at the ground. "Neither did Mother. It was three years to the day Sakumo Hatake had died. Kakashi was twelve. I asked Kakashi about it, and he said she was in tears all day." She looked at him the same moment he looked at her. They both smiled crookedly._

_Minato looked in her eyes and didn't say anything. But just by looking at him she could see the truth. She nodded and he sighed in relief._

_"You're not mad, then?" He asked._

_Kaze laughed. "Why would I be mad at you? Because you hooked up with my mother? I can forgive you. I'm not sure that Kushina would, though."_

_Minato laughed along with Kaze. "Oh, be quiet, you!" He stopped laughing long enough to play the strict father. "But in a way, I don't regret it. I've been watching my son and his surroundings. Actually, I only figured it out myself not long ago! But I've also watched Kakashi, and you. You've become an admirable ninja. You've grown and learnt so quickly. Not as good as me, since I graduated when I was ten, but still good."_

_Kaze punched Minato in the shoulder and Minato winced slightly. Kaze smirked. "Butt out! You're even worse than Naruto!"_

_Minato smiled. "Be nice to your father, why don't you?"_

_Kaze smirked again. "You can't tell me what to do." She looked down at her chest. She had suddenly felt a sharp pain._

_Minato smiled. "I think it's about time you woke up."_

_Kaze looked up at him. "You think so?"_

_Minato nodded. "I know so. Good luck." he said, before standing up and walking away._

_Kaze cried tears of happiness. "Thank you, Father." she whispered. And then she was falling._


	4. Mission

Kakashi closed the book with a sigh. "It wasn't in this one, either." He stood up and walked away from the table he had been sitting at. His heart dropping, he put the book back on the shelf. "Where would it be?" He wondered aloud. He turned around as a Anbu Black Op appeared behind him. "What is it?" he asked.

"Lady Hokage wishes to see you." The woman behind the mask answered before disappearing. Kakashi sighed again and made his way to the Hokage's office.

...

"I have a mission for all of you." Tsunade said to the four Shinobi standing in front of her. She was sitting behind her desk, her head resting on her hands. Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura and Sai stood to alert in the room.

"It's about time!" Naruto laughed. "I've been waiting around forever!"

Sakura hit him upside the head. "Be quiet!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and pouted.

Kakashi sighed. Typical Naruto and Sakura.

Tsunade stood up and turned to face the window behind her. "We have received word that a psychopathic ninja has been killing many innocent people by night. We want you four to capture him. If at all possible, avoid killing him. Understood?"

Kakashi nodded. "Understood." He had a thought. "But we're not the most appropriate tracking team. You know that, right?"

Tsunade turned back. "Yes, but the ones who are are already on a mission." She sighed. "I want everyone to come back here alive, you hear me? If this guy hasn't been caught yet, he's good."

Naruto grinned and pumped his fist in the air. "Don't you worry, granny Tsunade!" He said loudly. "We'll be back before you know it without a scratch on us!"

Sakura hit him upside the head. "Don't make promises you can't keep!" she told him.

Kakashi sighed. "Enough, you two." He turned and started walking out. "Meet at the front gate in an hour. We'll leave then."

...

In the hospital, Kakashi was once again at Kaze's bedside. He watched her peaceful figure, her chest going up and down at a steady rate. The continuous beeps of the heart monitor gave him the tiniest bit of hope that she'd wake up. Eventually. He placed his hand on hers.

"I'm going on a mission again." He murmured. "I promise I'll return."

And with that, he disappeared.


	5. Awakening

_They were down. They all were. Sakura, Sai, Naruto, all lying on the ground unconscious. Kakashi was sitting up against a tree with a massive wound in his stomach, panting, fighting death with every fibre of his being. A crazy psychopath was standing before him, laughing a high, devilish laugh._

_"Look at you now, Kakashi of the Sharingan!" He sneered. "You certainly don't live up to your name!" He laughed again. He advanced toward Kakashi, weapon poised to kill._

_And he went flying backwards. Kakashi, Sharingan weakening, sank lower to the ground. With his last bit of energy he managed to tilt his head up._

_And standing in front of him, bearing a master's katana, was an angel with billowing red hair._

...

"That's enough, Kakashi." She said. "He's my opponent now. Just stay alive for me, 'kay?"

"Kaze?" Kakashi murmured. She tilted her head to look back at him. Kakashi tried to stand up but failed, falling back down with a cry of pain.

"Kakashi." Kaze said. Her voice was kind, low and mellow. She smiled, her right eye the brightest blue, seemed to shine. "Don't."

"He'll kill... you..." Kakashi managed to say.

Kaze smiled. "I'd like to see him try." She raised her katana.

"Ka...ze..." Kakashi muttered.

Kaze just continued to smile. "I will never let my comrades die." She said softly, and turned back around. "Trust me."

So Kakashi fell silent and watched her.

The man had gotten up by now and was laughing that crazy laugh again. "Backup!" He cried. "I like it!" He faced Kaze. "Tell me, who's blood runs in your veins?"

Kaze glared at him. "Why?"

He laughed again. "So that when I spill it I'll enjoy it even more!"

Kaze smiled, tilting her head in that way she always does, just slightly to the right. "My mother died in the Uchiha massacre. Her name was Yukia Hatake."

More laughing. "Go on?"

Kaze laughed softly. "My father..." she began. "He died to save Konoha." Her voice was strong. She lifted her katana and held it in front of her, pointing it to her left, like a master. "He died sealing the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox inside of my brother! His name was Minato Namikaze!"

To Kakashi, time seemed to stand still.


	6. Spiral

Kakashi couldn't hear anything except the wind. He heard Kaze yell something but he couldn't pick one word from another at that moment. He saw Kaze swing the katana and the next second she and the man were going full on fighting. They were dodging each other's blows like they knew each other perfectly.

His vision became slurred but he continued to fight death with all he had.

…

She swung; he dodged. He swung; she dodged. It wasn't until he hesitated that she finally had the upper hand. She ducked low and the katana sank into his stomach.

Everything was still for a second, until she pulled her sword out and took a few steps back that he seemed to realise what had happened. His hand went to his stomach and came back soaking with glistening red liquid. But he just looked at it before roaring with laughter.

He staggered forwards toward Kaze, still laughing. Kaze's left hand began to crackle with lightning. She held it up at him and focused her chakra towards him. A line of lightning filled the space between them, one end in Kaze's hand, the other around the man's throat. He screamed as he was electrocuted. When she finally stopped he dropped to the ground, burned and still crackling with energy. But he never stopped laughing.

Kaze sheathed her katana and closed her right eye but kept her left completely focused on the laughing madman on the ground before her. She clenched her fists and opened her eye. There was an explosion and smoke filled the area. The man went flying into the nearest tree and got caught in the branches.

But the laughing never stopped as he dropped to the ground and pulled himself to his feet. He moved with such speed that Kaze barely had time to duck before a long sword was where her head had been milliseconds before. Before he had time to process what had happened Kaze's right hand was through his chest, once again crackling with lightning.

He wasn't laughing anymore.

Kaze threw the man away, her arm dripping with blood. She wiped it off as best she could before turning around and running over to Sakura. She focused her chakra to her hand and put that hand on Sakura's brow. Sakura woke up seconds later.

"Wha…" she murmured. When her eyes focused and she saw someone leaning over her she immediately reached for her kunai.

Kaze's hand stopped Sakura's. "Don't, Sakura." She said. "Get up. You need to heal Kakashi. Now!" Kaze moved away and over to Naruto.

"Who… are you?" Sakura managed to say.

Kaze glared at her. "Heal now, explain later! Do it!" she yelled.

Sakura's eyes widened at the sight of Kaze's. "Kaze? Kaze Hatake?" she gasped.

"Sakura!"

"Right!" Sakura stood up and ran over to Kakashi's side. She quickly began to heal him and his life slowly began to come back. He had long since stopped using his Sharingan and was struggling to sit up straight.

"Kakashi-sensei!" came Naruto's voice. He came running over to Sakura's side. Sai and Kaze soon followed.

Kakashi looked directly at Kaze and his eyes widened at the sight of her right eye. It was still its usual blue but it seemed to have some sort of Sharingan. From her pupil outwards were four lines in a swirling spiral. Everyone stared at it and Kaze smiled.

"Like it?" she asked sarcastically.

"It's like some sort of Sharingan!" Naruto said.

"I dunno." Kaze replied with a shrug. "I can just use it now; I don't know what it does, exactly." But she closed that eye again and when she opened it a few seconds later, it was gone. It was just a normal eye again.

"When did you wake up?" Sakura asked.

Kaze thought about it. "About thirty seconds before I got here." She calculated.

"How did you get here so fast?"

At that Kaze smiled. She looked sideways at Kakashi. Kakashi stared at her. He slowly picked up his headband from the ground beside him and put it back on, dropping it over his left eye. He winced slightly as Sakura continued healing his wound. Then he looked at Naruto then back at Kaze.

"Flying Thunder God Technique." He murmured.

Kaze winked. "Bingo."


	7. Birth

**A/N: Okay, lemme back up a little here. In the manga/anime, Kakashi's mother died real young some way or another. But seeing as this is my story, she dies AFTER Sakumo Hatake. So Kakashi and Kaze share the same mum but different dad. And we never find out her name or appearance so I made it up. Yukia. You like it? Do ya? Do ya? Do ya? (Ha, 'Finding Nemo' moment) Anyways, thanks for reading this far!**

**Peace out, dudes!**

**PS: What **_**did**_** Kakashi and Obito argue about…?**

_Team Minato came through the front gates in Konoha. Obito and Kakashi were once again arguing about… whatever those two argued about._

"_Hey, Kakashi!" someone called. Kakashi stopped arguing with Obito to look at the man._

"_What is it?" he called back._

"_You should go to the hospital!" came the reply. "Go see Yukia!"_

_Kakashi's eyes widened and he set out full sprint towards the hospital without another word. A second later his team was following him._

_When he got to the hospital a nurse grinned and hurried him to his mother's room. She opened the door for him and let him inside._

_Yukia Hatake was standing by the window of the hospital room. She turned as she saw the door open. Her bright red hair fell around her face and her dark purple eyes were filled with kindness. She smiled when she saw Kakashi and looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms. A beautiful baby girl._

_Kakashi walked over to his mother. She laid a hand on his shoulder as he stared at his sister._

"_Do I have your approval?" Yukia joked. Kakashi smiled behind his mask and he gave a slight nod._

"_What's her name?" he asked._

_At that moment a gentle breeze drifted through the open window. It seemed to swirl around them before leaving again. At the touch of the wind the baby girl opened her eyes for the first time. Yukia gasped at the sight of her eyes. The right eye was a brilliant blue and the left was white as snow._

_The mark of the Guardian. The Guardian of Saino, the Air Angel._

_Yukia smiled and stroked her baby's cheek. "Kaze," she whispered and kissed her forehead. She looked at Kakashi. "Kakashi?" she asked._

"_Yes?"_

"_Please, make Kaze your student."_

_Kakashi looked up at his mother. "What?"_

_Yukia once again put her hand on Kakashi's shoulder. "I can tell that Kaze will be a fine Shinobi one day. I'd like you to teach her as her master."_

_Kakashi looked bewildered but, slowly and finally, nodded his agreement._

_Minato, Obito and Rin walked in a few minutes later when Yukia was lying in her bed again and Kakashi was sitting next to her holding Kaze like she was made of glass. Yukia looked up and smiled at Minato, her old friend._

"_May I?" he asked. When Yukia nodded Kakashi held Kaze out to Minato. He took her and smiled._

"_She's beautiful, Yukia." Then he noticed the colour of her eyes. "But her eyes…" Yukia grinned. Rin rushed over and placed a hand on Kaze's forehead. Her eyes widened as she felt the amount of chakra surging through Kaze._

"_That's amazing!" she gasped._

"_What?" Obito asked, looking wildly from one person to another. "What is it?"_

"_Have you ever heard of Saino, Obito?" Yukia asked the boy. Obito shook his head. "Well, Saino is also known as the Air Angel, and needs to be guarded in a woman's body to survive. When one dies, she looks for another. The result of being the Guardian is having the speed, strength and chakra to match that of a Jinchuriki. And her eyes will always be blue and white." She gave a small smile. "It is truly amazing that my daughter has been blessed with this honour."_

_Obito gave an "Ohhhhhh," but still looked slightly confused._

_Kakashi sighed. "You're hopeless, you know that?" he said to Obito. "You'd think that an Uchiha would at least know what Saino is."_

_Obito flushed. "Oh, shut up!" he snapped. "You probably didn't know what it was either, did you?"_

"_Actually, I did."_

"_Yeah, right! You're just too proud to admit it!"_

_Rin sighed. "Obito, Kakashi, stop it, will you? This isn't the time for this."_

_With a loud "Humph!" Obito looked away from Kakashi, who mirrored him._

_Yukia laughed. "You two will never change." Minato laughed along with her._

_And so marked the day of Kaze Hatake's birth. But little did anybody know that Kaze would be taking part in some of the most historical events in Konoha's history._

"Come on!" Kaze said impatiently to Sakura.

"Calm down, Kaze," Sakura replied. "I'm a little limited here, what with the chakra I have left." So Kaze sighed and placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder. Sakura gasped with the amount of chakra that Kaze was giving her. She put everything into healing Kakashi's wound.

"We have to get back to the village." Sai said quietly.

"Yeah," Kakashi said. "And Kaze, we weren't supposed to kill him." He gave a slight nod to the lifeless man.

Kaze shrugged. "Hey, in a battle where it's me or him, I'd usually choose me. He was going to put a damn _sword_ through my brain. If I didn't kill him, he was going to kill me."

Naruto scratched his head. "Yeah, but what will we do with him?"

"I don't know." Kaze replied. "I wasn't assigned to this mission, but if I hadn't come he would've murdered you all where you were!" she stopped, like she'd just had a thought. "Oh, and I still haven't gotten a thank-you, yet, Y'know. I think I at least deserve that much."

There were "Thanks," all around and Kaze smiled.

"That's the best I can do, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura told him. "We have to get you back to the village to heal you completely."

Kakashi's hand went to the headband covering his eye, and Kaze gave him a sad smile. Then she crouched beside him and put his arm over her shoulder.

"Sakura?" she asked. Sakura nodded and did the same on Kakashi's other side. Together the lifted Kakashi into a somewhat awkward standing position. And they began the long walk back to Konoha.


	8. Master

_"Kakashi! Kakashi!" Kakashi turned to see Guy running up to him._

_Kakashi sighed in annoyance. "What is it _now_, Guy?"_

_Guy stopped running and caught his breath before standing up and grinning, his teeth glinting in the sunlight. "Kakashi, my rival, I think it's time for another match." He gave an over-exaggerated thumbs-up. "What do ya say?"_

_"I can't right now, Guy." Kakashi turned and started walking away. "I'm going to training."_

_"Training?" Guy blinked before quickly walking after Kakashi. "But what do you need to train for? You haven't been called out onto another mission, have you?"_

_"I'm not training me, Guy," Kakashi said, "I'm training Kaze. She'll be wondering where I am by now."_

_"Kaze? Your sister?"_

_"Mm-hmm. That's the only Kaze we know, right?"_

_"What, she doesn't get enough training at the Academy?"_

_"She doesn't go to the academy. I figured you of all people would know that."_

_"But why? She's old enough, right?" Guy stopped in his tracks. "Wait a minute, how old _is_ she?"_

_Kakashi rolled his eye. "She's five, Guy."_

_"Oh."_

_They rounded a corner and both looked up at annoyed "'Bout time!"_

_Guy looked at the small girl running up to them. Her hair was loose and wavy, down to her hips. Her eyes were fierce and annoyed as she stopped in front of Kakashi and looked up at him._

_"How long will it take for you to learn to look at a clock?" she said loudly. "I've been waiting here for an hour!"_

_"Sorry I'm late, Kaze," Kakashi scratched the back of his head, "Guy here slowed me down, you see."_

_"For an hour?"_

_Kakashi faltered and Kaze just got even angrier. "That's a lie, I'll bet it's those books you read, isn't it?" she yelled. Kakashi laughed nervously and Guy just stood there dumbfounded. Kaze seemed about to explode, but she contained her anger. She turned on her heel and stalked off._

_Guy blinked, before bursting into laughter. "You've got a feisty one there, Kakashi!"_

_Kakashi sighed. "She certainly didn't get her personality from her mother, that's for sure."_

_"Who's her father, then?" Guy laughed. "Who gave her the spirit?"_

_Kakashi shrugged and Guy immediately stopped laughing. "What does that mean?" he blinked in confusion._

_"We don't know who her father is." Kakashi stared after his little sister. "And we have no way of knowing, seeing as Mother doesn't remember."_

_"Come on!" Kaze yelled. She was standing way off, waving her arm in the air. "I don't have all day, y'know!"_

_Kakashi gave a quiet laugh before walking over to join her._

...

It was a slow walk back to Konoha, due to Kakashi's wound. but, to pass the time, Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura told her what she had missed over the two and a half years. Naruto had been off training with Master Jiraiya, and Sakura had been granted the role of Lady Tsunade's apprentice. Kaze admired how much Sakura and Naruto had grown.

But they avoided everything relating to Sasuke. He wasn't even mentioned in passing. As they made camp for the night she wondered if he regretted what he did to her at all. So she decided to ask the big question.

"So what's the situation with Sasuke?" She put confidence in her voice and refused to show how her heart was sinking. "You guys haven't mentioned him at all."

There was silence throughout the camp. Naruto and Sakura seemed to sulk. Sai, who hadn't contributed to the conversation, remained silent, and Kakashi sighed.

"'Sasuke' is a taboo word with those two." He said quietly. "We came across him once." Then he gave a small laugh. "Well, they did. I was in hospital at the time."

"Oh really?" Kaze scoffed. "What did you do that time?"

"I used my Mangekyou Sharingan a little too much." Kakashi sighed. Kaze gave a small laugh and rolled her eyes. Kakashi went silent for a minute and Kaze smiled sadly. "And I want to congratulate you for mastering Lightning Blade." Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "How you did it, I don't know, but good job."

"I'm not sure." Kaze frowned. "Apart from me not knowing what happened for two and a half years, it's like I never stopped getting stronger. I can't explain it."

"Was it Saino?" Kakashi asked quietly.

Kaze smiled, and gave a small nod. "I think so. And I had a little help from Father, too, I think."

"So, how did that happen, anyway?"

"Grief and drinks, apparently." Kaze rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Not one detail was remembered by either of them."

Kakashi sighed. "Imagine what Kushina would do if she was still alive."

Kaze laughed. "So, have I missed anything important?" She asked.

"Orochimaru's dead, for one thing."

"Sweet."

"Sasuke's gone off the radar."

"Goddammit."

"Not much else."

"I see." Kaze leant back against a tree and unsheathed her sword. Inscribed upon it were tiny letters, spelling out the names of the various masters of the sword. When one died, it was passed down the the next generation. Another name could not be inscribed until the last one had died. Kaze ran her fingers down the list until she came to the last one: _Yukia Hatake_. She smiled at the memory of her mother.

"I think you're ready." Kakashi said suddenly. Kaze looked up, surprised. Kakashi nodded. "I think it's time for you to put your name on that sword. You've mastered it.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Kaze looked back down at it. She took a deep breath, and exhaled softly. She ran her thumb over the edge of the sword, drawing blood. She painted that blood onto the sword's flat side; from hilt to end. She then sucked the rest of the blood from her finger and watched.

The blood on the sword seemed to glow. It shined brightly before disappearing. Then more tiny letters inscribed themselves onto the sword's blade, as if it was being written by a tiny, invisible hand.

_Kaze Hatake._

Kakashi put his hand on top of Kaze's and she smiled. Then she started, like she'd just had a thought. She tilted her head and smirked, before looking sideways at Kakashi.

"Got a girlfriend yet?" She asked quietly.

Kakashi sighed. "Do not go there, Kaze." But she could see the slight tinge of red on his face, even through his mask.

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, guys. I've been writing other stuff and my writer's block on this story has only just gone away.**

**So... last three paragraphs? Huh? Huh? ^-^**

**I'm gonna try and write Have Faith, The New Girl and a brand-new one called Forest's Heart a little more, so we can get up to speed. So, until I've caught up with those three, I won't be writing this one. Sooorryyyyy...**

**And I know that anime is Japanese, and they write with Kanji (characters), but seeing as I'm NOT Japanese, I'm gonna stick with letters. Just thought I'd let you guys know.**

**Well, hoped you like it so far! Willow signing out - peace out dudes!**


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